From One Mom to the Next

A way to help connect like minded moms (or not like minded moms) and provide a forum for inspiration, sharing, caring and love to help us get through the momentous privilege and challenge of Motherhood.

This is Mendel. He is two years and a couple months old. He is sweet and at the same time super mischievous, as I'm sure many two year old boys are. Mendel loves to play with his sisters and can in one moment be kissing his baby sister, Basya, and then next whacking her with his hand (of course, a more aggressive form of love, :D)Mendel is also my sensitive and soft one. He really wants to do the right thing, as most kids do, and if he doesn't do it right, wow, does he get affected!This is a true story that happened over Pesach one yom tov evening around bedtime. I was upstairs finishing putting the baby to sleep and on my way downstairs heard my father tell Mendel to be careful with the milk because it would spill. So as soon as I arrived on the scene, Mendel knocked over the milk and it spilled some on the carpet, some on the table, in h is chair and on him. I got all upset, slammed the milk down on the table and picked him up and put him on the ground. He then ran off upstairs and said "I'm mad!!!" I quickly cleaned up what I could of the mess and ran after him upstairs. When I caught up with him he said to me "I' m not good anymore!" As soon as I heard that my heart totally melted and I told him that "I'm sorry i got upset ,Mendel, I know it was an accident. It's okay I'm not mad anymore and you are such a good boy! " He started crying and I started crying and we were holding each other. I was so floored by his reaction and told him how much I loved him and apologized again. As I went to finish with my baby he went downstairs back to my father. Later on my father told me that when Mendel came downstairs he said "I'm good!!!" In a very proud voice.

This story with pretty much speaks for itself. I was fortunate enough to see my son's emotions unfold and be expressed right in front of me but that doesn't always happen. I do hope that this experience will help guide my reactions in the future with all of my children and help me guard my own emotions and words.

Thank you Mendel for letting e into your world and thank you G-d for showing me this immediate cause and effect of my parenting.